When you’re shopping for a home, a real estate agent who
represents the seller may not have your best interests at
heart. That’s true even if you sign a “dual agency”
agreement because that agent still will have a loyalty to
the seller.
Instead, you might want to retain a buyer’s agent, who’ll
work exclusively for you. A buyer’s agent will be paid by
the seller, after the house is sold, so it probably won’t
cost you anything to enlist an experienced agent.
A buyer’s agent might help you negotiate a lower price or
let you know that the seller is under pressure to get a
deal done, for some reason. An agent representing the seller
can’t act in such a manner.
In addition, an experienced agent may be able to help you
save time while you’re house-hunting. If you tell your agent
what you have in mind, in terms of a home, you can “visit”
many homes over the Internet, then choose a few of the most
promising ones for actual inspection trips.
